The Kernel Brewery, Citra IPA

One of the latest Kernel IPAs, singly hopped with Citra. Very strong sherbet nose + caramel orange in colour and hazy. It tasted like Um Bungo/Tropical Squash/Lilt. I recently had a half of the Stone IPA at the Holborn Whippet and this London IPA reminded me a little of that. The bitterness was relatively mild and the alcohol more or less undetectable (as per with Kernel). I drank this after hopped Saison from Partizan so maybe there was an after-effect from the sweetness of the spices in that drink. Never thought I'd say it, but maybe there's too much tropicality in this? Is there more balance needed? More malt? Or is the point of brewing with Citra to go for that über-fruitiness? (There are increasingly too many question marks in my wrote-ups these days ....)

I had another bottle subsequently, and it made a great deal more sense the second time around.

The Kernel Brewery, IPA: Citra, Ahtanum, Galaxy

My tasting notes are pretty sparse for this recent Kernel IPA. Obviously hoppy and fruity thanks to the Ahtanum from Washington, the Aussie Galaxy and Citra hops. As with Kernel's recent Amarillo Pale Ale, I think I noticed the malts a bit more. The same couldn't be said for the 7.3% abv, which was utterly indiscernable. A gentle lacing down the glass and each finish probably had some of that grapefruity bitterness to it (although I've got a feeling I'm making that up to sound more knowledgable).

The Kernel Brewery, IPA: Centennial, Topaz, Stella

I think the Kernel made this brew at the end of last year and it's their current IPA. Slightly more amber then Moor's Empire Strikes Back, but still very pale in colour. Typically huge fruity nose although not much of a lingering bitterness. Not too much carbonation, but of course it's extremely hoppy - the bitterness it does produce is the kind that gets the roof of your mouth. I hope I'm not building a tolerance or something to the Kernel IPAs, but this didn't seem to impress quite like previous ones. Nonetheless, this is still a very beautiful and immensely satisfying drink.

The Kernel Brewery, London Brewer's Alliance Collaboration Stout

Had this Kernel Stout just after the Porter. Clearly a lot more viscous, opaque and rich. Velvety on the nose and a bit of spice in it? This was recommended to me by the kind lady at the brewery itself. I think next time, I'll try and get my head around a few more of their porters, as the stout is pretty heady. I drank it slow too, which is pretty rare for me. Even though I definitely enjoyed every sip of it, I couldn't help but feel a bit like I did when I used a cheat code on an old Megadrive game to get past a level that I couldn't beat, just so that I could get to the end boss. More practise with the darker brews is needed!

The Kernel Brewery, Export Porter: Cacao

Whilst I've known of the Kernel Brewery for a little while already, I've only really drunk their pale ales. My brother bought me a Beavertown Smog Rocket for Christmas and the experience of drinking it was definitely akin to how I felt tasting that first Goose Island IPA I had over a year ago now. Anyway, I know next to nothing about Porters except that I'm keen to try more. This one from Kernel was great. I had their stout afterwards and had the smoky, chocolatey coffiness from the 2 drinks buzzing around my sinuses well after I'd gone to bed.

The Kernel Brewery, Dockley Road SE1

Paid a visit to the Kernel Brewery in Bermondsey today. I remember walking past their old premises in the Maltby St market ages ago and not paying it any attention. It was busy back then and today they're clearly still enjoying very brisk business. The beer hall was packed and there was a big queue to the till. I came away with a few of their frankly amazing Table Beers and a kind lady let me try a couple of their stouts (bought a London Brewers Alliance Collab). I was hoping to see the brewing equipment but there wasn't anything on show unfortunately. Oh well. To be honest, I'll probably go to Mr Lawrence to get my Kernels in the future, less of a queue and fewer hipsters.